52 THE SOUTH AFRICAN INDIAN QUESTION seeing that he was an officer of that Court. He wished to say why he had not submitted to this. Mr. Jordan (Magistrate): I don’t think that has any- thing to do with nt. The law is there, and you have dis- obeyed at. I do not want any political speeches made. Mr. Gandhi ; I do not want to make any political- Speeches. Mr. Jordan: The question is, have you registered or not °? Il you have not registered there is an end of the case. If you have any explanation to offer as regards the order I am going to make that is another story. There is the law, which has been passed bythe Transvaal legis- lature and sanctioned by the Imperial Government. All I have to do and all I can do is to administer that law as- lt stands Mr. Gandhi: I do not wish to give any evidence in extenuation and I know that legally I cannot give evidence at all. Mr. Jordan: All I have to deal with is legal evi- dence. What you want to say, I suppose, is that you do not approve of the law and you conscientiously resist it. Mr. Gandhi: That is perfectly true. Mr. Jordan : I will take the evidence if you say you consclentiously object. Mr. Gandhi was proceeding to state when he came to the Transvaal and the fact that he was Secretary to the British Indian Association when Mr. Jordan said he uid not see how that affected the case. Mr. Gandhi: I said that before and I simply asked the indulgence of the Court for live minutes. Mr. Jordan : I don’t think this is a case in which the Court should grant any indulgence; you have defied. the law. ·.
